For most of us, grocery shopping is a mindless activity. This is
exactly how the grocers like it. The less actual thought you put
into buying food, the more you can be manipulated into spending
more money. Supermarkets and food manufacturers will do everything
within their power to make your wallet lighter. Anything from using
creative labeling to make you think you are buying a "healthy"
food, to the placement of milk the furthest from the entrance of
the store to make you pass all those foods you had no intention of
buying.

Buying bread is a good example. You have a choice of wheat,
white-wheat, multi-grain, 12-grain, whole-grain, white, rye,
pumpernickel; the list goes on and on. The key is to look for the
words "whole grain" somewhere on the label. Another good way to
tell is to look for "whole wheat flour" as the first or second
ingredient, not "enriched" flour. Don't be fooled by "wheat bread"
or "multi-grain bread" made with white flour. These are almost no
different than plain white bread in nutrient content.

How many times have you gone to the store for milk and ended up
spending $10? You are not alone. Your chances of going to the back
of the store and to the register with only milk in your hand are
slim to none. That's because years of testing and research have
been done on the habits of shoppers. Carts and aisles are much
larger now than ever because the bigger our cart, the more we want
it to be filled. Samples are given out not to get you to buy that
product, but to get your saliva flowing and the hunger sensation to
kick in, which results in you buying more. All the expensive items
are placed at eye level of the average female while children's
foods are placed at their eye level. Notice how all the sugary
cereals are placed on the lower half of the shelf. Music is
specifically programmed to get you to walk slower and buy more.
Most people know the cost of a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread,
so these items are usually priced at a loss to the company. They
get you in the store where you will buy other, more expensive items
that you don't know the "regular" price.

Michael Murphy is a registered dietitian living in Ahwatukee
Foothills. Reach him at (480) 415-8803 or visit
www.nutritiontoyou.com.